When Corel bought Jasc last year, the folks at Corel apparently regarded Paint Shop Pro as a fixer-upper. And sure enough, longtime users of the application will wonder what has happened to their favorite image editor when they first glance at Corel Paint Shop Pro X. Fear not: Corel has kept virtually all of Paint Shop Pro's formidable power. But the interface has undergone a drastic transformation, making the program easy on the eyes and much easier to use. It's a very good choice for enthusiasts, business users, and even pros who need image-editing muscle without the high price of Adobe Photoshop.

The most obvious helpful feature is the totally revamped Learning Center, which by default is docked to the left side of the screen. This well-organized palette features a set of image-editing topics and subtopics. Click on Crop, for instance, and a cropping marquee automatically appears on your image. Just follow the palette's step-by-step instructions to adjust the marquee and complete the job. The Learning Center is a huge asset for beginners; advanced users can close it with a single click. The Layers palette has also undergone a total overhaul. Layer thumbnails now give a visual clue as to the contents of a layer. The old palette had a string of inscrutable icons across the top for creating different types of layers; these have been replaced by a single drop-down menu.

There are lots of new features as well. The Smart Photo Fix command assembles the most commonly needed image enhancements in a single window. The Makeover tools and red-eye tool do a decent job at touching up faces. The Object Remover complements the Clone tool at removing unwanted elements from photos. Advanced users will appreciate the 16-bit-per-channel color depth, as well as support for embedded color profiles and RAW images.

Paint Shop Pro X comes bundled with the standard version of Corel Photo Album 6, making it an image-editing/organizing package along the lines of Adobe Photoshop Elements. Paint Shop Pro equals or surpasses Elements in image-editing power and now comes very close to Elements' ease of use. But even the deluxe version of Photo Album 6 (reviewed below) is no match for Elements' Organizer component. And the standard version included with Paint Shop Pro lacks most of the deluxe version's image effects, Video CD and Web gallery creation, and support for RAW formats.

So while Elements may win the editing/organizing prize for casual users and enthusiasts, Paint Shop Pro X remains a viable alternative to Adobe Photoshop. And the redesigned interface should increase productivity for longtime users and newcomers alike.

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